General Information

Financial and registration appeals are available for any student who missed a deadline for an extenuating or compelling reason.

Complete appeals are reviewed by the Financial and Registration Committee to determine if the extenuating circumstance merits a change in student registration after a deadline. The Committee takes numerous factors into consideration when reviewing submissions, including but not limited to:

Student appeal statement and extenuating circumstances

Supporting documentation

Timely submission of appeal

Academic standing and engagement in course

Students will be notified if additional information is required for an appeal review; incomplete appeals may be canceled without review. Submission of an appeal is not a guarantee of approval.

Contact Information

Financial and Registration Appeals are managed by the Academic Services Office. For questions regarding the appeal process, contact:

Types of Appeals

The Financial and Registration Committee reviews the following types of appeals:

Late registration or late add

Add/drop (exchanging of courses)

Late drop (with tuition refund)

Late withdraw (no tuition refund)

Credit status change

Reinstatement into a course

What is the difference between late registration and late add?

What is the difference between late registration and late add?

Late add is the terminology used for students who have already registered for a course in the current term. Students who have already paid the registration fee for the current term will only be asked to pay the cost of tuition if the appeal is approved.

Late registration is the terminology used for students who have not registered for any courses in the current term. Students will be required to pay the registration fees as well as tuition if an appeal is approved.

If the appeal is approved, students will be notified via email exactly what payment is required and instructions on how to submit payment for the appeal.

What is the difference between late drop and late withdraw?

What is the difference between late drop and late withdraw?

Late drop is the terminology used when a course is removed from an academic record and will include a tuition refund. If approved for a late drop, the Financial and Registration Committee will also determine if a full or half tuition refund is merited based on the student engagement in the term, timing of the appeal, and circumstances presented and supported by official documentation.

The late withdraw does not include a tuition refund. The course will remain on a student’s academic record, and the student will be issued a “WD” notation for the course. See more information on the withdraw policy and “WD” grade notation on our Grades policy page.

What is the appeal for “reinstatement into a course”?

What is the appeal for “reinstatement into a course”?

Students who were registered for a course and have accidentally withdrawn or dropped the course in online services can appeal to be reinstated into the respective course. Students are not eligible for a reinstatement appeal if they were on a waitlist but never officially registered in a course or if a student was dropped from a course after being absent for required class session in the first two weeks of the semester.

What if my appeal does not fall under one of the types listed?

What if my appeal does not fall under one of the types listed?

If you have any questions about the type of appeal you wish to file or if your appeal does not match one of the types listed above, contact Academic Services to discuss your situation with an appeals staff member.

Preparing your Appeal

Student financial and registration appeals are submitted through online services. Students will be asked to complete the online appeal form, which includes entering course information and selecting the type of appeal you are submitting, writing a full appeal statement, and uploading supporting documentation. Students may start an appeal, save, and return to complete it at a later time, though it is recommended that students start and submit the appeal at one time rather than returning later to complete.

What does “compelling and extenuating circumstances” mean?

What does “compelling and extenuating circumstances” mean?

Compelling and extenuating circumstances refer to situations that have a major impact on a student’s life and are beyond everyday life situations. Compelling and extenuating circumstances should be detailed in the student appeal statement, and students should be able to provide supporting documentation to corroborate the circumstances. The Financial and Registration Committee does not consider workload, software or hardware difficulties, financial constraints, minor illness, unsatisfactory academic progress, failure to meet course requirements or prerequisites, lack of preparation, negligence, or vacations to be extenuating circumstances.

What if I do not have an online services account?

What if I do not have an online services account?

If you have never created a student account with the Harvard Extension School or Harvard Summer School, you will be asked to create a record before you have access to online services.

Once you create an online services account, you will have immediate access to file an appeal.

If you have previously created an account or took courses through the Harvard Extension or Harvard Summer School, please contact Enrollment Services at inquiry@summer.harvard.edu or (617) 495-4024 for assistance in accessing your account. Creating a new online services account when you already have an existing account may delay your appeal.

Can I appeal courses taken in a previous term?

Can I appeal courses taken in a previous term?

Appeals are typically only reviewed for the current term or a term that has ended within the past few weeks. It is the Committee’s discretion whether they are able to review appeals for previous terms. Students who complete a course (take a final exam, submit a final paper, etc.) may not be eligible for any registration changes in that course. If you are appealing a registration change from a previous term, it is recommended that you contact Academic Services before submitting to discuss your situation.

What if I have more than one appeal to file?

What if I have more than one appeal to file?

If you are submitting the same request for more than one course, you can use the “Tell us about another course for this appeal” option on the appeal form. If you are requesting different types of appeals, you should submit multiple appeal forms.

Examples:

A student requesting to late register for three courses will only submit one appeal form, with each course listed on the same form.

A student requesting to be reinstated into a course they have already dropped AND change the credit status for that course should file two appeals – one for reinstatement and one for credit status change.

Supporting Documentation

As part of the appeal submission, you will be required to upload official supporting documentation to the Student Appeal Form.

Documentation should be official, written on letterhead (when relevant), be written in English, and corroborate the details of your appeal statement. Documentation should include pertinent details of your situation, including a brief description of the extenuating circumstances, the time under which the situation occurred, and any additional restrictions that impact your enrollment or engagement in the course.

Students should provide two forms of documentation to support an appeal. The exceptions to this are an official letter from a doctor in medical situations or submitting official military orders.

What documentation should I provide to support my appeal?

What documentation should I provide to support my appeal?

Documentation should support the extenuating circumstances described in the student appeal statement. Documentation should provide details pertaining to the extenuating situation and be written on official letterhead (when relevant) for the Financial and Registration Committee to review. Different situations will require different types of documentation.

The following are examples of documentation that has been provided for different appeal situations. The list is meant to be a guide and is not an exhaustive list of circumstances or documentation.

Note from licensed medical practitioner, written on official letterhead and signed by care provider

Weather or Natural Disaster

Notice of canceled travel arrangements due to inclement weather, proof of residence and dated news article of related weather incident and impact, notice of internet or power outages, etc.

Unexpected changes in employment

Official letter from supervisor with dates and anticipated changes, travel itinerary with date of travel and date of booking arrangements, etc.

Technical connection issues

Notice of internet or power outages, email communication or ticket number for communication with Harvard IT support

Documentation is reviewed by the appeals staff upon submission of an appeal. Students who submit vague or incomplete documentation may be asked to provide updated documentation before an appeal is reviewed.

I do not have any documentation. Can I still appeal?

I do not have any documentation. Can I still appeal?

Documentation is critical for each appeal to receive a fair and thorough review and corroborate the student statement. Students who do not have documentation are still eligible to appeal, though these appeals can be more difficult for the Committee to consider.

Students who wish to submit an appeal without documentation should follow these steps when submitting the appeal form:

• Select your appeal type and provide requested course information.
• Add your Appeal Statement, including relevant details and timeline information.
• Under the "Supporting Documentation" section, select “No” for the "Do you have documentation to upload" question.
• Select the “I am submitting without supporting documentation” box to confirm that you do not wish to add documentation to your appeal.

What if I am waiting to receive documentation for my appeal?

What if I am waiting to receive documentation for my appeal?

We recommend starting your appeal, then saving the appeal form and returning to complete and submit once you receive the documentation. If you submit an appeal without documentation, the Financial and Registration Committee may view the submission as incomplete or move forward with your appeal review without the required documentation, depending on the situation. Contact Academic Services with further question.

Appeal Submission and Processing

Every appeal submission is initially reviewed by the appeals staff. Students will be notified via email if any additional information or documentation is required before the appeal can be reviewed by the Financial and Registration Committee.

Once the appeal is reviewed by the Committee, decisions are sent to the email address associated with your student record. Students can confirm their email address in online services.

What will happen after I submit my appeal?

What will happen after I submit my appeal?

Students who successfully submit the appeal form will receive a confirmation of submission screen and email notification. If you do not receive this email, please confirm your email address in online services. We recommend that you keep a copy of the appeal submission email for your records.

The appeals staff aims to have all completed appeals reviewed within 1-2 weeks of submission. Appeal reviews may be delayed if supporting documentation is not received or if information is not clearly listed on the appeal form. Additionally, the appeals staff may need to communicate with the instructional staff for information pertaining to your appeal.

How do I make changes to my appeal or cancel a submitted appeal?

How do I make changes to my appeal or cancel a submitted appeal?

Students can email any changes or updated documentation to appeals@extension.harvard.edu. Be sure to include the following information when contacting appeals:

• Your full name as listed in your online services account.
• Send your request from the email in your online services account.
• Include the case number for your appeal (the case number can be found in the confirmation email received when the appeal was submitted).
• Clearly indicate what you wish to update in your appeal in the body of the email.

How likely is it that my appeal will be approved?

How likely is it that my appeal will be approved?

Appeals are reviewed on a case-by-case basis with many factors taken into consideration. As such, it is difficult to provide insight into whether your appeal will be approved. Students who submit an incomplete appeal or appeal without supporting documentation are more difficult for the Financial and Registration Committee to consider.

Tuition Payments and Refunds

Tuition payment is required in full before students can be officially registered in any course. This includes approved appeals for credit status changes if the new credit status has a higher tuition cost than the original tuition paid at registration.

Students will be notified of the exact payment amount needed and how to submit payment, if and when their appeal has been approved by the Financial and Registration Committee.

How can I tell if the credit status or course I am appealing to add has a greater tuition cost than what was paid at registratio

How can I tell if the credit status or course I am appealing to add has a greater tuition cost than what was paid at registration?

Students should review our course catalog to determine the cost of tuition for the desired credit status or the course you wish to add. Students can compare the difference in cost on the course catalog to the tuition paid at registration to determine if additional tuition payment is needed.

Will my appeal include a tuition refund?

Will my appeal include a tuition refund?

Any appeal that is approved for a late drop will include a tuition refund. Refunds are issued for 100% or 50% of tuition paid.

Credit status changes and add/drop appeals may also include a refund. If the desired credit status or course added is of lesser cost in tuition, and the appeal is approved, students will be refunded the difference in the tuition cost.

Tuition refunds are processed by Student Financial Services within 3-5 business days of the appeal approval and will be issued back in the same manner by which the student paid tuition.

TAP tuition will not be refunded. Students who receive third-party tuition payments, veterans' benefits, or are receiving financial aid should contact Student Financial Services directly for more information on tuition refunds.

Can my refund be deferred or used as a credit for a future semester?

Can my refund be deferred or used as a credit for a future semester?

Unfortunately, our administration is not able to defer tuition for a course in a future semester. Payment that exceeds the cost of tuition and fees will result in a credit balance. The credit balance will be refunded and may not be held and applied as future payment.

File Your Appeal

The financial and registration appeal form can be found in online services. Log in using your HarvardKey information; under the Student Main Menu, select Course Registration and Schedule, then Financial and Registration Appeal Form.